Town leaders in Dedham, Massachusetts, felt the wrath of its residents after a local library initially chose not to display a Christmas tree during the holiday season.
While the library ultimately reversed that decision after public outcry, residents at a town hall meeting continued to question the Endicott Branch Library’s motives.
“Why do you hate Christians so much?” one resident asked the officials after one woman said everyone deserved to have their beliefs represented and that a Christmas tree display was “a symbol of Christianity.”
Another resident accused the library of using the drama as a way to politicize the community and draw more national attention to the small town.
“This is not about a Christmas tree. This is about you trying to lead the town into being woke,” she said.
Others in the crowd echoed those sentiments, with one resident saying that “they’re not going to put up with it anymore” and another man claiming the library merely wanted to expose its biases.
“Thankfully, Jesse Watters picked up the story. The local media — everybody picked up the story,” he said, referring to the Fox News program that brought national attention to the controversy.
“And now you’re just sitting in the pile of poop that you made for yourself,” the man said.
Watters also featured the town hall meeting in Dedham, which is several miles southwest of Boston.
The library’s director said the initial decision not to display the tree occurred due to an “ongoing review of all our holiday decorations and displays that started back in the spring,” according to a statement.
“What has played out on social media is unfortunate, it has negatively impacted our staff and the community, and frankly, transpired before we had even started our seasonal decorating,” the library said.
Members of the staff even faced threats to their lives as a result of the controversy, according to the statement.
While a tree will be displayed, the library said at the time that its review of decorations is not over.
“We will continue to review decorations and displays to ensure they are welcoming, enriching, and reflective of our entire community,” it reads.
* Article from: The Washington Examiner
